


Thorns

by elisetales



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Thorne & Rowling
Genre: Angst, Boys Kissing, Family Drama, First Kiss, Friendship, Jealousy, M/M, Possessive Behavior, Teenage Drama, Teenagers, Unresolved Romantic Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-02
Updated: 2017-12-02
Packaged: 2019-02-09 13:11:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,693
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12888597
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elisetales/pseuds/elisetales
Summary: Albus can't quite figure out why it annoys him so much when Scorpius talks about girls. One other thing? He's really,reallystarting to hate Rose Weasley.





	Thorns

“So. I finally – _finally_ – did it. Albus? Al?”

Reluctantly, Albus looked up from his potions homework. Scorpius was breathless and flushed, pink-cheeked and bright-eyed, long silver strands of hair swept all over the place.

The library was almost deserted now and Albus hadn't a clue where Scorpius had been. It was unlike him to skip out on their nightly study sessions because they had a deal -- each would help the other with their homework with the endgoal being good enough grades to go study together in Romania –- but obviously Scorpius was focused on something more important right now.

Albus had a feeling he knew exactly what.

“Finally did what?” Albus asked. “Where have you been anyway, you look all sweaty.” He didn't, but Scorpius frowned anyway and dabbed at his forehead with his sleeve.

“What do you think? Rose!” Scorpius exclaimed. That name – and the way Scorpius said it – instantly set Albus' teeth on edge.

“Oh.”

Scorpius frowned again. “Well don't you want to hear what happened? Because you'll never believe--”

“No,” Albus helpfully supplied before Scorpius could finish. “Thanks, but I actually don't want to know. I've heard it all a thousand times before and to be honest, it's getting kind of grating. Get your books out, you still have a scroll to write on that Potions essay. Come on, stop being so flippant. This is important.” He tried to keep his tone steady here, bored-like, as if it didn't matter too much either way what Scorpius said.

Like it didn't annoy him more than his dad 's unwelcome hair-ruffling whenever Scorpius talked about Rose.

Stupid Rose. She really ought to stop prancing around the school, all hoity-toity, with her impressively long hair, swaying hips and stupid boobs. Who cared about boobs? Every boy in the school apparently; apart from Albus, it seemed.

He looked up from his homework again after a long silence. Scorpius hadn't reacted to any of his rude remarks, or even budged at all, and Albus didn't really want to see the hurt look on his face. Albus had no idea how his friend had wound up in Slytherin because he was terrible at being deceptive about his emotions – his nature too kind, gentle and trusting for his own good. Albus hated to hurt him but it was _Rose_ , and if he could just get Scorpius to stop obsessing about stupid, boring, stuck-up _Rose_ , then everything would be fine and normal and perfect between them again.

It was all Rose's fault.

Scorpius looked as wounded as Albus had imagined.

“Is there something wrong?” he asked, innocently.

“Uh, yeah,” Scorpius replied with a humourless laugh. “It's you. Who are you and what have you done with my best friend?”

“I don't know what you're talking about. Stop being so dramatic and get your Potions stuff out.”

“Really, Albus? That – just now – that was, um, really mean.” He tried for a little laugh here but only managed to sound like he was choking a bit. He was awful at confrontation and more awful still when it came to awkward moments.

“Since when am I not mean?” Albus countered.

“Well, you can be. Sometimes, I guess. But not to me. You always listen to me-- you're my best friend. I want to tell you everything, even if it's kind of boring.”

Albus let out a little sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose. He leaned back in his chair and took a deep breath. “Alright then, fine. You got me. I'm sorry, okay? Spit it out – what happened with Rose? Tell me _all_ about it.”

Rose, Rose, Rose. Stupid Rose.

Albus balled his hands into fists, so hard that his fingernails bit into his skin. He hid them under the table.

Scorpius beamed and visibly brightened. Albus listened intently as he launched into the entire irritating tale – how he'd cornered Rose after Quidditch practice and asked her to go for a walk. That she'd actually said yes, which he'd never, ever expected because Rose pitied him even if she didn't downright hate his guts and she'd never, ever said yes to anything he'd ever asked her. Blah, blah, blah. Moonlight, lake, Scorpius complimenting her hair and touching her hand. Blah, blah, blah. Scorpius asking her to the ball. Rose saying yes. Rose calling him “sweet” and kissing his cheek.

Albus grew more incensed by the second. By the end he was in a full-blown rage and struggling to conceal it.

“Can you believe it?” Scorpius asked, exuberantly. “She's actually going with me. Rose Weasley...” His gaze grew distant, dreamy.

Albus snapped. With a snort, he replied, “Yeah, that's great and all, Scorpius, but it's not like she's some kind of prize.”

“I beg your pardon?” Scorpius was instantly affronted.

“What?” Albus laughed. “She's a stuck-up little brat with a superiority-complex – she's always looked down on you, she's always looked down on me, and let's be honest: she's probably only doing this to get back at me; to get under my skin.”

“And why would she do that, Albus? How does Rose and I doing anything together affect you at all?” Scorpius' tone had grown very quiet. Albus sensed the emotion in it and worried – for a split-second, no more – that Scorpius was going to burst into tears on him. His rage quickly took over and it didn't even matter anymore if he cried, and if Albus was the cause.

He laughed again, to cover the deadly-serious rage that had been brewing for months. The rage that threatened to bubble over whenever Scorpius looked at Rose or talked about her. Or anyone, really, if it was in... _that_ kind of way.

Albus couldn't understand why Scorpius needed to entangle himself in all of that nonsense, anyway. Albus had always been perfectly content having Scorpius and Scorpius alone, all to himself. He didn't need anyone else and it hurt him to think he wasn't enough for his own best friend, and that Scorpius was apparently perfectly alright with the idea of letting somebody else into the wonderful little sanctuary they had built here together.

What was once sturdy, predictable and safe felt unstable now, like at any moment anyone could intrude and topple everything over, disrupt their future plans forever.

“Because she knows I don't like her,” Albus finally answered. “She knows I don't like her – she's always whining about it to Aunt Hermione, Scorpius, even though she's the reason we don't get along anymore in the first place – and she knows exactly where to get at me.”

“What?”

“She knows what you mean to me. She knows how I feel about you.” Albus swallowed the lump in his throat. Maybe they could pretend he'd just never said that last bit. It sounded off, desperate.

“Yeah, and I feel the same way about you, Albus,” Scorpius replied, gently. He reached across the table to pat Albus' hand. His skin was ghostly-white against Albus' tanned colour. He squeezed his wrist a couple of times and Albus pulled away. He didn't want pity, or gentleness, he wanted Scorpius to need the same things he did. No one else but each other.

“You're my best friend,” Scorpius went on, undeterred. “But that doesn't mean Rose is trying to get at you or get in-between us. How could she? People do this kind of thing all the time – you know, _dates_ and the like. It doesn't have to mean anything. It doesn't have to be this huge deal. We'll still be best friends, you know.” He was blushing again. He always blushed so easily. One of James' favourite games was Make Scorpius Blush Using Ten Words Or Less.

Scorpius always ran away after the first two or three rounds.

“Best friends,” Albus repeated, absently. That phrase was really starting to bother him. Best friends was important and all – that's what they'd always been – but it failed to fully encapsulate everything Scorpius meant to him. It wasn't enough.

Obviously Scorpius just didn't get it, or didn't care. Either way, Albus' sudden sadness quickly gave way to a short, hot burst of anger and he opened his mouth without thinking.

“I'm only thinking of you here. I just don't want her to embarrass you. You know, she doesn't even like you, Scorpius. That's not what this is.” He couldn't conceal the venom in his voice; it dripped with rage, malice, and he was aiming to hurt now because why not. He wanted Scorpius to feel this as deeply as he did.

“What do you mean?” Scorpius' voice wavered. Albus couldn't look at him.

“That's why I said what I said,” Albus went on. “I'm trying to protect you because I know her in a way you don't. She's messing with you. You don't know what she says – the things she's said – when you're not around.”

“Like? It couldn't be worse than any of the stuff she's said to my face, let's be honest.”

Albus shrugged and picked at an indent in the table. He'd been picking at the same spot for years and years now; every night the indent got bigger, and deeper. Sometimes he got splinters beneath his fingernails, and they hurt, but he could never seem to stop picking at it.

“Well... it's just that I don't think you're exactly her type, if you catch my drift.” He was being actively cruel now but there seemed no way to stop it; the floodgates had already opened. He had already caused damage – might as well be reckless and go all the way with it; really twist the knife in and end this for good.

“Huh? What's wrong with me?”

Albus squashed down that little voice inside his head screaming at him to say, _nothing. Nothing's wrong with you. You're perfect_. _To me, you're perfect_. Instead, he said, “Well, it's just... she won't go with anyone shorter than her, you know, she's always been like that. She calls you The Little Runt whenever you're not around. Says you're so pale you look sickly – like a ghost – and it creeps her out.”

Albus couldn't watch. He kept his eyes trained on the table and his expression blank. _Pick, pick, pick._ There were tiny shavings of wood all over his fingers now.

“Oh.” Scorpius' voice was hollow. “Well, that certainly puts things in a new perspective, doesn't it?”

“Mmm. Well I know that's definitely what she prefers.” He made a gesture with his hands, indicating some large, hulking figure. “Big guys. Good-looking. Tall. Athletic. You know the type.”

Scorpius let out an empty laugh. “Yeah. I do. Someone like you.”

“Ew, gross,” Albus snapped back. “She's my cousin.”

“That's not what I meant.” Scorpius sounded defeated now. “Just that you're all of those things, Albus, and I'm not. I'm never going to be that and well, I guess I'm never going to be enough for anyone, am I? You were right. Who'd want me? I was stupid.”

They sat in silence for what felt like an eternity. Albus couldn't balance the feelings of shame and repulsion at what he'd done with the feelings of glee that he'd stopped Rose from getting anywhere near his best friend. That he'd stopped her from interfering in something precious to him.

Eventually, Scorpius gathered up his bag and stood, quiet for a moment as he looked down on him. “I'm not feeling too great, to be honest. Do you mind if I go back to the room now and catch up extra hard with Potions tomorrow? I will, I promise. I'm sorry we didn't get it all done tonight, I know how serious you are about OWLs this year.

Albus waved it away. “It's fine. I'll see you up there?”

Scorpius nodded and walked away. Albus watched him leave, the candlelight bathing his retreating figure in gold, and wished the moment would stretch on forever just so he wouldn't have to watch his friend disappear in pain.

* * *

Albus stayed at the library until he was forcibly removed and told to go to bed. Briefly, he contemplated jumping off one of the towers so he wouldn't have to face the damage he'd caused. Or just jumping into the lake and letting the Merpeople eat him to death, slowly, painfully, one bite at a time. Did Merpeople even eat humans? He'd never bothered to find out.

At some point, Albus found himself outside his dormitory and slowly climbed the stairs, each leg feeling like a lead weight strapped to his torso. He opened the door, praying Scorpius and everyone else was already asleep so that he could get into bed and be alone with his shame. Really punish himself for being so horrible and cruel to the one person who mattered most to him in the entire world.

He'd ruined things for good. How was he ever going to repair it?

“Al?”

Albus froze in the dark. “Scorpius?”

“Duh.”

Albus exhaled a heavy breath. It flooded him with relief to know that at least it didn't sound as if Scorpius had been sobbing because of what he'd said. He shuffled over to Scorpius' bed and gently pulled the curtains back.

“Hey.”

“Hey back.” Scorpius was curled into a tight little ball. His pale hair shone on the pillow. He faced away from Albus.

“You okay?”

Scorpius shrugged a shoulder. “Fine. Been better, but fine.”

Albus swallowed his guilt. “I'm sorry. You know, for what I said.”

“Why? It was the truth, wasn't it? You shouldn't ever be sorry for telling the truth. I like that you're honest with me, Potter.”

Albus' lips tugged into a half-smile. The “Potter” was affectionate, a kind of in-joke – it gave him hope that not all was lost, and reminded him there was something deep, expansive and precious between them. Something that maybe not even this could rock.

“The truth...” Albus rested one knee on Scorpius' mattress. Scorpius rolled a little under Albus' weight, slightly closer to him. Albus could see his face now. They stared at each other in the semi-dark.

“The truth,” Albus said again.

“Yeah. You told me the truth, right?”

“Yes and no.”

Scorpius frowned. “What does that mean?”

Albus sighed and got fully onto the bed. He gestured at the pillow beside Scorpius and said, “May I?”

Scorpius nodded and Albus laid down beside him. He stared up at the ceiling rather than at Scorpius and crossed his arms over his stomach.

“I mean, yeah. But no, too.”

“Did someone Confund you on the way up here?”

“No... It's just hard to explain,” Albus tried. “Everything I said was technically true. I mean, yeah, she said those things once upon a time but... I don't know, it's been a while. Maybe things are different now and things have changed. Maybe she's changed. Maybe I'm just being a prick about everything because I'm.... I don't know . Maybe it's me.”

“Why are you defending her?”

“I'm not. I'm... I'm trying to be honest. Like, more honest.”

Scorpius propped himself up on his elbow and stared intently at the side of Albus' head. “Huh?”

“She said those things. She _has_ said those things. But not for a while. Look, I think you grew on her or something and I'm just... I wasn't ready for it. And I should have told you, back there at the library, that even if she said those things once that doesn't make any of them true. They were cruel, and untrue, and I don't know why I didn't say anything. You are enough. You're... You're everything.”

“Shut _up_ ,” someone groaned from the adjacent bed. Albus couldn't work out exactly who it was. “ _Sorry_!” he growled back.

He took a deep breath. He couldn't look at Scorpius with what was about to tumble out of his mouth. But it was like the words were already out there and he couldn't take them back.

“You said you wouldn't ever be enough for anyone,” he said in a low whisper. “But that's what you don't get. You don't see it, you just see me getting all pissed off and _wrong_ , but you are enough. You're enough to me and you always will be. Don't ever say who'd want you. I want you.”

The silence stretched a while before Scorpius broke it, saying, “Wow. That was so sappy, Albus.”

Albus choked out a laugh. “I know. Pretty gross, right?”

“Just a bit.”

“Look,” Albus added after a while, “I should have just shut my mouth and let you be happy. I ruined your moment because I was jealous and I'm sorry.”

“Albus...”

Albus propped himself up to look at him. Now they were face to face and Albus' heart had dropped right down to his guts. He couldn't understand where the sudden panic had come from or why his mouth was so dry and his hands were feeling clammy.

He stared at Scorpius' mouth. It was a good mouth. Albus had caught himself staring at it before. Lips full in the right places and a soft petal pink. He suppressed the sudden and unwelcome urge to rub them with his thumb – they were huggers, and Albus had always loved that Scorpius was open to that, but he doubted Scorpius would welcome that particular form of affection.

“You're looking at me weird,” Scorpius murmured.

“You can tell?” Albus couldn't stop staring at Scorpius' mouth. He liked it even better when it moved. Vague thoughts began to coalesce, thoughts of what his mouth would look like doing other things. He pushed them away because they were wrong and tormented him.

“You know I have good eyesight in the dark. All those carrots, you know. Are you sure you're feeling okay?” Scorpius reached out to touch Albus' forehead and, breathing hard and fast, Albus caught his wrist and held it there.

It was like watching someone else in control of his body as he pulled Scorpius forward, close enough his lips brushed Scorpius' skin, and sought Scorpius' mouth like he needed it to breathe. He let out a groan when he caught it, his body wracked with a sudden and awful pleasure. Scorpius' lips were soft on his, perfect, and Albus savored each and every moment Scorpius didn't pull away from him.

It was everything a hug wasn't, so intimate that all Albus wanted was to get closer, be closer to him, even if this was enough for now.

They broke apart only when Albus needed to breathe. The moment fell away as quickly as it had overcome him and all Albus was left with now was fear, panic, revulsion. Terror of being turned away and dismissed.

“Wow.” Scorpius touched his lips. “What was that for?”

Albus let out a shaky breath. When he didn't say anything, Scorpius added, “Not really helping with the Confunded theory, here. What's gotten into you tonight?”

“I wasn't Confunded. I'm fine. I just... I wanted to do that. I've wanted to do that, for a long time, I think. I just knew it was wrong. I didn't want to think about it. I knew you wouldn't want me to.”

Scorpius looked pensive. “I... I can't really think right now. I need a second, okay? It's not... You don't know what I want or didn't want. That was just...”

“Bad, I know.”

“Not bad. Unexpected.”

“I should—” Albus gestured into the darkness. “Bed. Away. From you.” He cringed at his own lack of finesse. Scorpius stared intently at him.

“Alright... In the morning?”

 _You won't see me in the morning because the floorboards will have swallowed me whole, body and soul_ , Albus wanted to say but didn't. Instead, he nodded. “Night.”

“Yeah.” Scorpius rolled away from him and Albus hurried back to his own bed, eager to put some distance between him and his own stupid actions.

He laid on his back and doubted he'd sleep a wink, stared up at the canopy and tried to pinpoint the precise moment he'd gone insane. He wondered how it was that his own body knew things he didn't – and had even acted on them, completely outside his control.

He wondered how he'd managed to turn something so perfect – the best thing he'd ever had in his life – into a complete and total twisted mess.

 

* * *

 

“Albus Severus Potter, you spiteful little twerp!”

“Ouch!” Albus yelled. Somehow he'd found himself being dragged down the corridor by his ear: it was Rose, and she was furious.

“Let go of me!” Albus slapped her hand away and tried to right himself. He stumbled and dropped his bag. A handful of quills clattered to the floor, all of his textbooks, some ink and spare parchment.

“Great, now look what you've done.”

Rose shoved his shoulder, hard, so that he fell back against the wall. She folded her arms and stepped forward menacingly, cornering him there, glaring daggers as Albus stared indignantly right back.

“What's up your—”

“Don't you dare, Albus Potter,” Rose warned, cutting him off. Her usually-perfect curls were askew, her face flushed with rage. “I know what you did.”

Albus' stomach somersaulted and blood rushed to his cheeks. But how? He hadn't told a soul what had happened that night – he refused to even discuss it with himself – unless Scorpius had...?

Of course. Scorpius.

Stupid Scorpius and his inability to keep his trap shut. Especially when it was Rose doing the asking.

“Look, I don't know what he told you but he's lying. We were arguing, he's telling tall stories and that's all there is to it. Are we done here?”

“Albus, how could you say those things to him?” Rose exploded.

“What?”

Rose lowered her voice to a whisper. “That I...” She cleared her throat, and looked around, obviously checking they weren't being overheard. “That I don't  _like_  boys like him. That I don't think he's handsome. That I think he's too short – sickly!”

Albus stared at her. “But you did say that.” He shrugged.

Rose lunged for him again, hand outstretched to deliver another violent shove but Albus dodged her this time, neatly sidestepping her arm. “I was only telling the truth,” he protested, hands up. “You said it, not me. I thought he deserved to know before he went and did something stupid, like date you. Ugh.” He affected a shudder and Rose's eyes flashed with rage.

"Oh, you little... Don't you dare pretend to be all noble now – not with me, mister. I know you, you little toerag. You're jealous, and you're not above using your own best friend to get what you want. You really hurt him; I hope you know that. Proud of yourself, are you?”

Albus wasn't. He tried his best to look indifferent; he didn't want her to know she'd gotten him where it stung.

“Nothing to say?” Rose baited. “You're a coward, Albus Potter, but you know what's worse? You're mean.  _Mean_.”

"Ha!" Albus let out a cold laugh. “I'm mean? Me? You're the one who said all that stuff about him, not me! You're the one who's spent the past five years not even giving him – not giving  _us_  – the time of day because you think you're too good for everybody, and now what? Now you want to play nice – go on sweet little moonlit strolls with him, hold his hand, get all kissy-kissy--”

“Oh, but that's the problem, isn't it, Albus?” Rose interrupted, sneering. She smiled, coldly, and added, “Because you're the one who wants to be doing all that stuff. I'm just the poor sod getting in the way, am I right?”

“I want to-- With you? Please. Don't make me ill.” Albus feigned disgust but couldn't look her in the eye. He was like a cornered animal now, desperate to flee.

“Don't play dumb with me, Albus,” Rose growled. “With him. It's as clear as day that you have feelings for him, and not just the friendly kind. You're a jealous mess.”

“Shut up, Rose,” Albus warned. She'd stumbled too close to the truth and Albus didn't want her to see it. He didn't want anyone to see it – not her, not him, and not Scorpius.

“You don't know anything. You don't know what you're talking about, it's pure garbage and I'm not listening to this.”

“Oh, Albus. Darling. I think the midnight snog kind of gave you away. The way Scorpius described it, it was  _anything_  but friendly.”

Albus felt as if she'd dumped a bucket of ice water over his head and then slapped him to boot. He tried to speak, choked on his words and had to cough, clear his throat before he got anything out. “That's private,” he said in a strangled voice. "It's none of your business."

“It is now,” Rose said with a careless shrug, a triumphant sort of tone to her voice. Albus wondered, not for the first time, how she hadn't ended up in Slytherin with him. She'd probably bribed the Sorting Hat, promised her first-born child or something whacko like that.

“Like I said, I'm done talking about this.” Albus dropped to his knees and scrambled to gather his books, the spilled quills and parchment. His hands shook violently. Rose grabbed his elbow before he could stalk away; Albus hissed at her and yanked it away.

“Do you want some free advice?”

“Nope.”

“Tell the truth. Just tell him how you feel about him, you idiot, and stop using me as your villain. I'm not your enemy, Albus. Besides, I have a feeling you're more his type than I am, at any rate. He just doesn't know it yet. And stop ignoring him, will you? You're really hurting him, just in case you didn't know that already.”

“Keep your beak out of it if you know what's good for you, Rose.” Albus tossed his bag over one shoulder, shot his cousin one final glower and stormed off down the corridor, blood pounding angrily in his ears.

* * *

The first thing Albus saw upon entering the library was a flash of white-blond hair. His heart skipped a beat and he strode purposely past his and Scorpius' usual study desk to one at the far corner of the library, where he couldn't see him – wouldn't have to look at the bewildered, hurt, angry look on his face – and Scorpius wouldn't have to see him either.

It was better this way. Scorpius would thank him later, Albus knew it.

He unzipped his bag and pulled out his belongings, eager to have something in front of him – ueseless words and parchment, anything to distract him from the awful maelstrom going on inside his mind; the twisted feelings of anger, bitterness and regret he couldn't seem to bury deep enough for them to disappear.

He had never intended for things to turn out this way but it was too late to put them right. You couldn't take back a kiss, just like he couldn't take back any of the things he'd said or done over the past seventy-two hours.

Albus found himself thinking longingly of the Time Turner and what he wouldn't give to be able to set things right again, despite the damage he knew it would cause. Despite the fact they'd almost ended the world as they knew it the last time they'd touched one. But then there was always a memory charm; dangerous, but—

“Albus?”

Albus hastily wiped at his eyes with the sleeve of his robes. He wouldn't look up. He sniffled and tried desperately to rearrange his face.

“What do you want?”

“Can I sit?”

Albus shrugged, gestured to the chair opposite with a nod of his head. “Go ahead, rest. You're probably tired from running your big mouth all day.”

“Don't," Scorpius said immediately. "Don't you speak to me like that. It isn't you.” It was said without anger but Albus knew his friend, knew a clear warning when he heard one and knew he'd gone too far.

“I'm your friend, not your enemy,” Scorpius added softly.

Albus snorted. “You know, you're not the first person to say that to me today. Certainly doesn't feel that way.”

“Albus, I love you.”

It was so heartfelt, imbued with so much raw emotion and sincerity that Albus couldn't bear it. His heart gave a painful twinge and he swallowed the lump in his throat. He couldn't bring himself to say it back. It meant something more to him now and he couldn't burden Scorpius with the weight of those words – not now.

“I love you like a brother.” And there it was: the final twist of the knife. Albus imagined his own pitiful heart laying right there on the floor at Scorpius' feet, all shrivelled up like a wilting flower, Scorpius cackling madly as he impaled it with a silver dagger, blood spurting out all over the place – spraying the walls, all the books.

“You're everything to me, Albus. Don't shut me out. The last time we were apart it was like I couldn't breathe without you; all I wanted was to be close to you again. I would have done anything to be near you. Don't do that to me.”

“I'm not. I-I won't,” Albus choked out. He swallowed hard, started picking a new indent on this new, unfamiliar table. “Look, just... Let me get over this – whatever  _this_  is – and everything will be alright again. Please. We can go back to normal, I promise.”

“What if I don't want normal?” Scorpius reached across the table to place his hand over Albus'. Albus laid down his quill, knew that Scorpius could feel his hand tremble.

“You didn't kiss me back,” he pointed out in a small voice. His face burned. He stared at their hands and added, “I thought you didn't like it.”

“I never said I didn't like it,” Scorpius protested, gently. He was so gentle about everything; Albus wanted to melt against him, let his softness brush away every sore spot inside him.

“You surprised me. Besides, you never gave me a chance to say anything because you've been ignoring me for days. You promised me we'd talk in the morning and then you disappeared on me. I wanted to give you your space, but I can't now, Albus. I can't let it go on.”

“I know,” Albus admitted. He cleared his throat. “I was just... I was scared. I didn't know how to face you. I felt like I'd spoiled everything between us; I still feel like I've spoiled it.”

“How can a kiss spoil anything?” Scorpius gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. Albus interlocked their fingers, shrugged, stared at their intertwined hands. He couldn't look Scorpius in the eye yet but he wouldn't let him go either.

“It doesn't. It didn't,” Scorpius assured him. “Just because you surprised me doesn't mean I didn't like it. I never really see what's in front of me until someone makes it stupidly obvious. You know me.”

Albus tried to quell the tiny bubble of hope growing inside his chest. It wouldn't do to get ahead of himself only to end up more wounded than he already felt. “What about Rose?” He almost didn't want to ask.

“I like her. I've always liked her, you know that,” Scorpius admitted, and it was bruising to hear it even if Albus knew it was the truth. “And I always wanted her to like me. I think we're kind of getting there, actually. Finally.”

“So you'll be—”

“But I like you too,” Scorpius finished. “I can't even begin to...” He bit his lip and shook his head. “You're my best friend and just because I never thought about any of the other stuff doesn't mean I don't like the idea of it, or want to try. I mean, I do. I want to.”

“Not just for me? Not just because I want you to? Because I don't want you to do anything you—”

“Shut up for a minute. I want to try something.” Albus blinked, puzzled. Scorpius looked left and right, checking they were alone. They were. He leaned across the table, closing the distance between them, and pressed his lips to Albus'.

Albus fought hard not to make a noise. He pushed his parchment, his quills, out of the way and rose from his seat, cupping Scorpius' face, pushing a hand through his hair and forcing him closer. Scorpius made a little noise and it sent a jolt right to Albus' stomach, his insides flipping upside down but in the best way.

When Scorpius parted his lips, allowing Albus to deepen the kiss, Albus' body began to react in a physical and not altogether welcome way considering the setting.

He pulled away with a hiss, breathing hard and fast, Scorpius' hands still twisted in his tie.

“Albus, what is it? What's wrong? Is it not...?” Scorpius was flushed too, lips wet and parted, and Albus was sure he'd never seen anyone look so good.

He closed his eyes and opened them again, pressed his lips together hard. “Nothing,” he forced out. “Nothing, just... Not here. It's good. A little too good.” Scorpius' eyes widened when it dawned on him exactly what Albus was trying to say and, courteously, Albus averted his gaze to spare the two of them any further embarrassment.

“Oh. Right,” Scorpius said quickly. The tips of his ears glowed. “Yeah, probably a good idea. Not now.”

“Later. I want to. I mean – I  _really_  want to.”

“Yeah, I do too.” Scorpius stood there awkwardly for a second, then said, “Can we hug? I mean, we can still hug, right?”

Albus let out a laugh. “Yeah, we can still hug. Kissing doesn't cancel out hugs or anything like that.”

“Oh. Thank God for that.” Scorpius rounded the table and Albus took him into his arms, drawing him in tight and closing his eyes. He released a long breath. “You feel good,” he confessed.

“You smell good,” Scorpius responded. Albus laughed.

“I really missed you, you know."

“Yeah. I missed you too," Scorpius murmured.

"Are we going to be alright, Albus?” he asked after a long silence.

“We are,” Albus replied, and he believed it almost as soon as he said it.

“Promise?”

“Yeah,” Albus said, squeezing him in closer. “Promise.”

**Author's Note:**

> So I just – finally – read Cursed Child and while I have my issues with it as a whole, I loved the intimacy of Albus and Scorpius' relationship and can easily see it going next-level. You know, without the whole awkward, shoehorned-in THESE BOYS ARE TOTALLY STRAIGHT AND NOT HOMOSEXUAL AT ALL stuff at the end there. Also, angsty Slytherin!Albus is my jam. Such a great contrast to sweet-as-syrup Scorpius. I had to write something for them.


End file.
